Lamp socket



, P 4, 1939- F. c. DE REAME LAMP SOCKET Filed March 3, 1937 Fig.1.

r e u oe n bR P n 0 E .C .v .mk A w W w i Patented Apr. 4, 1939 LAMP SOCKET Frank C. De Reamer, Bridgeport, Conn., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application March .3, 1937 Serial No. 128,804 7 Claims. (01. 173-328) The present invention relates to lamp sockets or holders, and especially to lamp sockets or holders for long cylindrical lamps having a contact ferrule at each end.

One object of my invention is to provide a lamp socket for a lamp of this type which, while bein f I ambient in operation, comprises few parts and is capable of being manufactured at low cost.

A furtherobject of my invention is to provide a lamp socket which is attractive in appearance and in which all exposedparts are of metal so that the socket may be given a uniform finish to match with the fixture with which the socket is'used.

Fora consideration of what I believe to be novel and my invention, attention is directed to the following specification and the claims appended thereto. a

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a lamp of the type referred to supported in a lamp 20 fixture utilizing sockets or holders embodying my invention; Fig.2 is'an exploded view showing the parts of the socket; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of an adapter which is attached to an end of the lamp for connecting the ferrule to the socket; Fig. i is an enlarged sectional view of a socket with the end of a lamp mounted therein, and Fig. 51s a sectional view taken on lines 5-5, Fig.

Referring to Fig. l, t indicates a lamp of the referred to type, the ends of which are supported in lamp sockets l, the lamp sockets in turn being supported by a tube 3 attached to a supporting base 8. The electric wires for the lamp extend through the tube 8, one wire going to each socket, as iswell understood,and supplying current to the 5 filament of the lamp. This lamp fixture is shown only by way of example and to illustrate generally the way in which the sockets I are used.

Referring to Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive, the lamp socket comprises a base ill of suitable insulating material provided at one end with a radially extending recess having an outer portion H with straight parallel walls which form a guide and an undercut inner portion I! having sloping side walls as shown particularly in Fig. 5. Projecting forwardly from the rear wall iii of the recess and formed integral therewith is a forwardly project ing tongue H which is spaced from the side walls and bottom wall of the inner portion I2 of the recess as shown particularly in Fig. 5, forming therewith a triangular shaped space. Located in the triangular shaped space is a contact clip comprising a base portion l having a forwardly projecting integral collar l6 which forms a thickened part in which is a tappedhole vfor a bind- 55 ing screw l1, and a pair of spring contact arms l8 which form a U of base it] are passages cap as shown in Fig.

-shaped connector. The-lower side of tongue It has a groove l9 to accommodate the collar It and the upper surface is curved as indicated at to provide a seat for a contact pin. In assembling the contact clip in the base, it is slid into the triangular shaped groove from the right hand end, as shown in Fig. 2, after which the binding screw H is threaded into the tapped hole in the base portion IS. Thescrew then serves to hold the contact clip in the groove by means of the shoulder l'ia adjacent the screw head, as shown in Fig. 4.

In the lower rear portion of base ill is a suitable recess 26 through which the electric wire extends to the binding screw ll. Also, the rear portion is hollowed out, as shown at am, to lighten the structure and decrease the amount of material required for the base. On opposite sides -22 in which are located screws 23 which serve to fasten the base'to a metal cap 2d. Y

- The metal cap 2 3 comprises a threaded nipple 25 and a shell 25 provided at a plurality of spaced points with indentations 27 for engagement with a screw thread. Attached to the nipple inside the cap are bracket arms 28 having tapped openings in their ends into which the screws 23 thread to attach the base it firmly to the cap. The base is of smaller diameter than the cap as is seen particularly in Fig. 4 so as to provide an annular space between the base and the cap. The cap is of slightly greater diameter than the lamp. Sur= rounding base Ill is a cylindrical metal sleeve 2% which is threaded at its inner end and is provided with a liner 30 of insulating material. The threads on sleeve 29 thread into shell 28% of the i, the indentation Z'l in the cap serving as cooperating screw threads.

The ends of, the lamp are provided with metal ferrules M as shown in Fig. 4 provided with central undercut depressions 32. For connecting the ferrule to the clip of the holder, I provide an adapter as shown in Fig. 3, the same' comprising a disk 33 having on one side a headed spring button 34 adapted to snap into the depression 32 and on the other side a contact pin 35 adapted to engage between the clip arms IS. The adapter may to advantage be made from two stampings fastened together by turning the outer edge of one over the edge of the other, as is shown-in the sectional view in Fig. 4. In the use of the invention, the lamp sockets are attached to a supporting means such as the tube 8 by means of the threaded nipples 25, the sockets being spaced to receive a lamp between them. The metal sleeves 29 with liners 30 therein are screwed out of the caps 26 and slipped over the body of the lamp, and the electric conductors are connected to the binding screws H. The lamp, with adapters attached to each end, is then mounted in thelamp sockets by passing the pins 35 of the adapters through the straight portions ll of the recesses into engagement with the seats 26, the pins 35 being sprung into position between the contact arms I8. The sleeves 28 with the liners 30 therein are then slid over the base it and threaded into the caps N. This completes the assembly. The lamp can be removed easily at any time by unscrewing the sleeves 28 and slipping them back over the body of the lamp and then lifting the lamp out of the holders.

When a lamp is in' position, it will be noted that only metal parts of the holders or sockets i are exposed. This enables the socket to be finished exteriorly as desired so it may be made to match the fixture with which it is used. At the same time, the socket is simple in structure, comprising few parts and is capable of being manufactured at low cost.

Also, when the lamp is in position, as shown in Fig. 4, and the sleeve is attached to the cap, it will be seen that the sleeve at its inner end surrounds and engages the endof thelamp and spans the space between the lamp and the cap, thus entirely enclosing the base it.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 01 the United States is:

1. In a lamp socket, the combination of a cap, a longitudinal base of less width than the cap andbeing attached thereto, said base having a laterally opening recess, contact means in said recess for receiving a contact element of a lamp. and a sleeve which surrounds the base and being of a width such that it will slip over the body of the lamp as said lamp is moved laterally of said base to bring the lamp contact element into engagement with said contact means and thereafter being movable axially of the lamp to engage said cap and enclose said base.

2. in a lamp socket, the combination of a longitudinal base having a laterally opening recess at one end, contact means-in said recess for receiving a contact element of a lamp with the lamp adjacent said end of the base, a cap attached to the other end of the base having a flange which surrounds such end, and a cylindrical sleeve of a diameter greater than that of the lamp to be used with the socket which surrounds and encloses the base extends between the cap and lamp and is detachably connected to saidcap.

3. The combination with a cylindrical lamp having a projecting contact pin at its end of a holder comprising a base having a laterally opening recess at one end, a spring contact in the recess to engage and hold the contact pin as said lamp is moved laterally into engagement. with said base, a cap attached to the other end of the base, and a sleeve which surrounds the base, spans the space between the end of the lamp and the cap and is detachably connected to the cap.

4. In a lamp socket, the combination of a base having a laterally-opening recess at one end, a tongue in the recess spaced from the bottom and side walls thereof to form a triangular shaped passage, a contact clip having a base portion in the space between the tongue and the bottom wall of the recess and spring arms projecting from the base to points beyond the tongue, the upper surface of the tongue forming a seat for a contact pin held between said spring arms, and a binding screw in the base portion of the contact clipand cooperating with said bottom wall to hold the contact clip in position.

5. An adapter for a lamp of the type having a metallic ferrule at each end provided with a depression comprising a disk having spring means on one side for engaging a depression in a lamp ferrule and a projecting contact pin on the other side said spring means and contact pin being in axial alinement.

6. An adapter for a lamp of the type having a metallic ferrule at each end provided with a depression comprising two metallic circular plates fastened togetherfiatwlse, one plate having spring means projecting therefrom for attaching it to a lamp ferrule and the other plate having a contact pin projecting therefrom.

7. In a lamp socket, a base having a laterally opening recess at one end, contact means in said recess, a disk having a projecting pin on one side engaging said contact means and having spring means on the other side adapted to engage a lamp ferrule whereby the lamp may be moved laterally on said base to engage and disengage said pin with said contact means, a cap attached to the other end of the base having a flange surrounding the end and a sleeve detachably connected to the cap and surrounding the base, said sleeve being of a diameter substantially the same as that of the lamp.

FRANK C. DE REAMER. 

